Principal Account Clerk – Project Delivery - Public Works (1634)

Company Description

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

Application Opening: Thursday, August 20, 2026
Application Deadline: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 11:59PM PST
Salary Range: $93,938 - $114,166 Annually
Recruitment ID: PEX-1634-162085, RTF0162084-01091530

Appointment Type: Permanent-Exempt (PEX), Category 18: This is not a permanent appointment. This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer and shall not exceed 36 months.

San Francisco Public Works (Public Works) has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at https://www.sfpublicworks.org/about to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

Public Works currently has a vacancy for the position of Principal Account Clerk (1634) within the Bureau of Project Management - Project Delivery Division.

Job Description

As a Principal Account Clerk, under direction, you will supervise the activities of staff engaged in various accounting and financial transaction activities. In this role, you will perform difficult and responsible accounting and financial transaction and clerical work. You will prepare and review a variety of complex financial documents and records. Additionally, you will interpret, enforce and carry out existing policies, regulations and procedures relating to accounting and financial activities.

Important and Essential Duties:
Your duties as a Principal Account Clerk may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supervising, instructing, planning, assigning, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing work of subordinate and office personnel in an accounting unit including such functions as utilizing system applications, statements, worksheets, processing statistical reports, reconciliations, cash receipts, distributions, encumbrances and payments.
• Performing complex accounting analysis and financial transaction processing and resolving difficult operating issues.
• Preparing routine correspondence, reports, memoranda and letters to members of the staff, other organizations and the public.
• Responding to inquiries in person or on the phone to members of the staff, other organizations and the public regarding accounting and financial operations.
• Assisting in the development and implementation of new operating policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Two (2) years (equivalent to 4,000 hours) of verifiable experience in a position supervising and directing accounting and/or financial transaction functions.

OR

2. Fours (4) years (equivalent to 8,000 hours) of verifiable experience processing financial and accounting matters (e.g., cost records, deposits, expenditures, allocations), bookkeeping, and/or financial record keeping. Such experience typically includes verifying correctness of financial documents, maintaining expenditure records and reconciling subsidiary accounts.

Substitution:

Thirty (30) semester units / Forty-five (45) quarter units of coursework from an accredited college or university with a minimum of twelve (12) semester units (or equivalent quarter units) in accounting may be substituted for up to one (1) year of the required experience as described in #1 or #2

Note: One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#verification

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ): Candidates may be required to complete a Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ) as part of the employment application. This SQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The SQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications. 

The selection process will include an evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the department will move forward in the recruitment process.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

Additional Information

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: At the City and County of San Francisco, we share a commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Each member of our organization is responsible and accountable for what they say and do to make San Francisco an inclusive and equitable place to live and work by employing fair and just practices to and for all.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Kristi Sevilla, at kristi.sevilla@sfdpw.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

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